Halloween is in the air! And so are reptiles, fall crops, exercise options and more! Here we offer a weekend’s worth of events and activities to keep you, your friends and family off the couch and out the door.
GLENVIEW: Halloween Spooktacular, a family friendly indoor Halloween party created especially for children, including inflatables, entertainment, face painting and more. Costumes are optional. The party will be held from 5:30-10 p.m. at the Glenview Park District (2400 Chestnut Avenue, Glenview).The cost is $5. For more information, click here.
LAKE FOREST: CROCtoberfest 2016! On Sunday, October 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. knowledgeable members of the Chicago Herpetological Society will give short talks about crocodiles and their kin at the Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm (1401 Middlefork Dr., Lake Forest). Jim Nesci and his world-famous American alligator, “Bubba,” will visit from 10 a.m. to noon. Come see the skull of a 24-foot saltwater crocodile, today’s largest living terrestrial predator! There’ll be face painting, storytelling and other activities for children – craft vendors and other fun for the whole family! Your $10 donation per participant will be greatly appreciated and payable at the door. Free shuttle from Lake Forest Hospital. A portion of the proceeds from this Wildlife Discovery Center fundraiser helps support crocodile conservation projects worldwide.
GLENCOE: Farm Fit: Amazing Fitness Workout is a unique fitness event that will take place at the Glencoe Community Garden on October 22 from 11 a.m. to noon. Experience the amazing benefits of a new fitness workout, tailored just for the GCG! Combining the end of the season garden clean-up with a self improvement event, personal trainer Mylen Blake will lead a healthy workout following the 10 am Harvest! Join us rain or shine. This event is for ages 14 and older.
WINNETKA: The Volunteer Center’s 14th Annual Make A Difference Day! Recycle your gently used goods and support 15 nonprofits and their clients in tremendous need. The Volunteer Center (VC) is sponsoring its 14th annual Make A Difference Day on Saturday, October 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Indian Hill Train Station in Winnetka (corner of Green Bay and Winnetka Avenue). Representatives from 15 nonprofits will be present to receive the much-needed goods. Residents throughout the North Shore are encouraged to participate, either by donating any of the requested items, or volunteering to help at the event.
Some of the needs include the following:
- Clothing, Outerwear, Shoes and boots for adults and children
- Children’s items – school supplies, backpacks, books, toys and games
- Sports equipment
- Bicycles and bike parts, any condition
- Prom dress and accessories;
- PURSES of all kinds
- Eyeglasses and cases
- Non perishable food – NO BEANS please
- Powdered infant formula, size 1 diapers
- Household items: cleaning supplies, detergent, decorative items, glassware
- Blankets, duffel and sleeping bags
- Dog and cat food, pet toys, old towels and newspapers for animal rescues
- Unused toiletries – travel size
EVANSTON: Zombie Scramble! The Evanston Recreation Division presents the 3rd annual Zombie Scramble. The event is a 2- to 4-mile course where participants attempt to outwit and outrun “zombies.” Your goal? Finish the course with all your “lives” intact! Both family-friendly and adult-only waves will be held. This spooky event wil take place on Saturday, October 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ladd Arboretum (2024 McCormick Blvd.).
HIGHLAND PARK: The Halloween Railroad is back by popular demand! Model trains run through Spookytown. Some visitors will be able to “drive a train” and earn their “NCOG Honorary Jr. Operating Engineer” certificate. Don’t miss the special Thomas the Tank Engine track, too. This event will take place on Saturday, October 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library is located at 494 Laurel Avenue in Highland Park. It’s sure to be a great time for the whole family.
WILMETTE: Closing Lecture for “The Sixties” Exhibit “The Tumultuous Sixties arrive in Hollywood” will be held on Sunday, October 23, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The 1960s was not only a decade of social, political, and cultural upheaval in the United States, but was also a tumultuous time for Hollywood. The movies of 1967, in particular, reflected the culmination of forces at work in the American entertainment industry that would forever change films made in the United States. Retired film instructor Alan Wenzel will talk about three significant 1967 movies that illustrated the social ferment of the time and shaped the future of Hollywood films: In the Heat of the Night, The Graduate, and Bonnie and Clyde, all of which have connections to Illinois. The lecture is free for Museum members, $10 for non-members.
LAKE FOREST: Rags to Witches is a costumed, creative spookfest for the whole family inspired by the supernatural work of Ragdale artists including Audrey Niffenegger (Author of The Time Traveler’s Wife), Ken Gerleve, Todd Summar, and Margot McMahon along with the ghosts of Ragdale’s founding family and their curious pets.
Special features include: haunted Ragdale house, an enchanted stroll through a pet cemetery, storytelling and performances in the witches ring costume parade/contest and photo booth, a spellbinding scavenger hunt, spooktacular arts and crafts, a sweet shop for the kids, and a cash bar for the adults. To register for this ghostly event, click here.
HIGHLAND PARK: The Highland Park Strings and Lake Forest High School sophomore Kimberly Han take the stage on October 23 in a free classical music concert for the whole family. The performance is the first of three free concerts in the 38th season of the Strings. Han joins more than 30 local musicians and Maestro Robert Hasty of Northwestern University for this performance. Han will perform the Concerto No. 2 by Saint-Saens. The Strings offer their first performance of the Symphony No. 9 (the “Great”) by Schubert. The concert is held at Highland Park High School, 433 Vine Avenue, Highland Park, Illinois. The performance begins at 3 p.m. Audience members of all ages are invited to attend. In addition, a preconcert conversation, “The Art of Listening,” led by expert Stephanie Ettelson takes place at 2 p.m., also at Highland Park High School.
WILMETTE: Spooky Skate Mingle and Mash with your fellow monsters. Come in costume and enjoy games, raffles, and a costume contest. Skate rental will be available. This event will take place on Saturday, October 22nd, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. The cost is $7.50 for students, $4 for children (5 and under), $8.75 for adults, and $4.25 if wearing a costume.
WINNETKA: Lloyd Beach’s Haunted Trail of Terror On October 22nd from 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. walk the haunted trail of Winnetka. Yo-ho yo-ho, burn the ship down… Legend has it that back in 1776 a group of ruthless pirates crashed their ship onto what is now Lloyd Beach. Before they perished, they buried their chest into the sand. With the recent erosion of the sand at Lloyd Beach a group of misfits has now arrived to find the treasure, but the souls of the crew refuse to relinquish what is theirs.
This event is designed to scare. We recommend the event for middle school preteens, high school teens and adults. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Rutherford at (847) 716-1299. The fee is $5 per person at the door.
LAKE FOREST: 2016 Betty Bash Please join us on Friday, October 21st from 7:00-11:00 p.m. at the Gorton Community Center for the 2016 Betty Bash hosted by the Mother’s Trust Foundation.
Mothers Trust Foundation (MTF) has provided emergency assistance to children in Lake County since 1998. Barbara Monsor founded the organization following an 18-year career at Youth Guidance in Chicago, where she witnessed firsthand how a seemingly small amount of assistance might change a challenging situation for a child. Hers was a simple idea – connect people in desperate situations with those who want to provide assistance where it will truly make a difference. Barbara’s vision was to create hope where little existed. Focusing on individual requests, we ask what every child needs to stay on their feet, to maintain their dignity, to keep their family together, to make the impossible possible. From the first small grant in 1998 through the end of 2015, MTF has assisted more than 28,000 children and their families with over 2 million dollars in grants … perhaps giving them a reason to feel “normal” and to have hope for the future. To purchase a ticket, or make a donation, click here.
EVANSTON: North Shore Crop Hunger Walk CROP Hunger Walks bring the whole community together in a common mission: helping hungry people at home and around the world. CROP Hunger Walks are fundraising events designed to raise awareness and funds for people here and abroad who lack access to food, clean water, and basic necessities. CROP Walks are community, interfaith, ecumenical, hunger-relief events.
“The North Shore CROP Hunger Walk” consists of a committee of planners, and liaisons from area congregations, houses of worship, schools, Scouts, neighborhoods and others, who recruit and encourage the participation of Walkers and donations from Walkers’ Sponsors. The North Shore CROP Hunger Walk raises funds specifically for Soup at Six (at Hemenway United Methodist Church Evanston); InterFaith Action of Evanston’s Hospitality Center for the Homeless; Second Baptist Church Tuesday Soup Kitchen; The ARK in Rogers Park; and A Just Harvest in Rogers Park. The remaining 75% of funds raised each year in the annual North Shore CROP Hunger Walk goes to support the work of the sponsoring organization, Church World Service.
This year’s CROP Hunger Walk will start and finish at First Congregational Church, 1445 Hinman Ave., on Sunday, October 23 from 2-4pm.
